Not Another Pokefic
by R.L. Clousia
Summary: My first fanfiction...I'm really giving this my best shot, so I hope you like this. Please R R. Enjoy.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Nothing in this story that belongs to Pokemon belongs to me.

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Not Another Pokefic 1-Welcome Xander!

…_rmm, rmm, rmm_…

_Screech!_

…_shuffle, shuffle_…

"Okay Xander, we're here!"

Another day, but a different day. The moving van door popped open and a 15-year-old youth popped out. The boy, medium in height and build, sighed in discontent. Brushing the brown hair from his blue-gray eyes and readjusting his bandanna, he took a good look around his new hometown of Twinleaf. The Sinnoh region just wasn't the same as Hoenn, and Xander was not content being here. He wished he didn't have to move, but he didn't really have a choice. So, packing up from his Petalburg home, they rented a moving van and went to Sinnoh. He unzipped his close-fitting black jacket and took off the red scarf he wore, then stuck his hands in the pockets of his jeans and removed the only Pokeball containing a Pokemon he was allowed to take. Ah, well, he thought. It was his new home, and a new beginning.

Meanwhile, two sets of eyes watched from the bushes. They belong to two Pokemon, a Riolu and a Pikachu, who were observing the newcomer to the town. After a few moments of their stakeout, they turned and nodded at each other and dashed from the bush. They had to tell their trainers of the newcomer, for he could bring many things. The one thing they feared he would bring was trouble.

The boy decided that his Pokemon, after being cooped up in the Pokeball for so long, should get some fresh air. He expanded and opened the Pokeball, freeing its inhabitant. A white light emerged, landing upon the ground and taking form. A few seconds later and a Ralts stood where the light once was. The Ralts looked around a little, before looking up at its Trainer inquisitively.

"Ralts?"

"Welcome to our new home, Riddle…"

"Ralts….?"

"Twinleaf. Our home is in Twinleaf Town in the continent of Sinnoh. Time for a new adventure, eh?"

The Ralts looked up at its trainer oddly, wondering what he meant by that.

As the Ralts and its trainer were beholding their new town, the Riolu and the Pikachu were speeding to a clearing not far from Twinleaf Town. There they would find their trainers, who were just as much excited about the newcomer as their Pokemon were. The Pokemon quickly reached the clearing and stopped for a second to take a breath. Once they were satisfied, they began to explain.

"Riolu!"

"Pikachu!"

"What's up guys?" asked the first, a female with raven-colored hair and eyes of the same color. She wore a Pokeball-shaped hairpin and wore a white tank-top and red skirt.

"Pika!"

"So the newcomer's here, eh?" asked the second, a male with blonde hair and green eyes. He was slightly taller than the girl and slightly older too. He wore a green hoodie and a pair of jean shorts. On his head was a black headband.

"Ooh, let's go see what they're like Roku!" the girl said before quickly dashing off with her Riolu leading the way. The boy, Roku, sighed. She's so energetic, he thought. He chuckled a little then dashed off himself, with his Pikachu at his heels. "Wait for me, Angie!" he called after her.

Meanwhile, Xander had grown bored waiting around for the movers to finish unloading their stuff and decided to take a walk around town to explore. Twinleaf is really small, but I guess that's nice. It certainly is peaceful, he thought. His Ralts moved next to him, keeping his pace somehow. The Ralts, Riddle, was worried for his master. He really hoped he would make new friends here. At least then it could be enjoyable. Suddenly, just as they were turning away from the river, a Riolu popped out from behind a house.

"Well, whatever that is, I'm gonna catch it!" Xander said, pulling a Pokeball from his pocket. He tossed it at the Riolu, ready to catch it, when all of a sudden…

"NOOOO!" a voice yelled, jumping in front of the Riolu. "You can't catch hi-AAAH!" The voice belonged to the girl, Angie. The Pokeball, with nowhere to go, hit Angie in the stomach. Interestingly enough, the Pokeball opened and sucked her in, which is where her scream came from. The Pokeball dropped to the ground and started wriggling. Xander counted the seconds down.

"3…2…1…"

The second he reached one, the ball slowed to a stop and sat there without making a motion.

"Click."

And it did.

"I caught…a…human?" Xander said, picking up the Pokeball. Just as he finished his statement, the Riolu attacked. Roku arrived a few moments later to witness the confusing scene of Angie's Riolu attacking Xander with Riddle trying to shoot psychic blasts at it to shoot it off. His Pikachu looked up at Roku for a command. Roku looked down and nodded at it. The Pikachu then focused on its target and loosed an electric shock. All three, the Trainer, the Riolu, and the Ralts, were zapped. They fell to the ground stunned.

"Okay, okay, I'll let her out, just stop attacking!" Xander said. The Riolu nodded at him and backed away. Xander pressed the button on the Pokeball and released its captive. Angie was put back on the ground, completely stunned as to what just happened. She then shook her head rapidly, coming back to her senses. The trainer got up, dusted herself off, but then staggered from the shock. Roku and Riddle both ran up to her to help her.

"A-Are you okay?" Xander asked. "I-I'm r-really sorry about th-that…"

"I'm fine, but why'd you do that? Didn't it once cross your mind that Riley belonged to someone?" Angie said, sounding rather angry.

"Well, it w-was walking around a-alone, s-so I thought it w-wasn't captured. I g-guess I d-didn't see you…s-sorry…." Xander stuttered, blushing embarrassedly. "I'm new, so I d-don't really know anybody here….or anything for that m-matter…"

"Wait, you're the newcomer?" Angie asked. Xander blinked, then nodded slowly

"Oh, well, I guess it's okay then. I'm still annoyed about it, but you didn't know better…don't feel bad about it!" she said, smiling lightly at the obviously shy trainer.

"Angie!" Roku said.

"What?" she asked.

"…Secret Conference," Roku replied, grabbing Angie's arm and dragging her away.

"What is it?" Angie said, once Roku had released her from his grasp. She rubbed her arm slightly, looking somewhat annoyed.

"Why are you forgiving him so easily? He just caught you! In a Pokeball, no less! He could've kept you forever, or he may do so! You could be stuck in servitude for your life! And aren't you worried about why the Pokeball worked on you?" he said.

"Well, he was new and didn't know. Also, he did release me, so he's obviously not interested in servitude. Settle down Roku, he doesn't seem like a bad person," Angie shot back.

"Uhh…I can hear what you're saying…." Xander said, not that far from the two. Both Angie and Roku looked at him, then glanced at each other.

"Well Roku? Do you forgive him? Because I do," Angie said.

"…I guess," Roku replied, looking beaten. Xander smiled at Angie. Angie smiled back at him. Roku just rolled his eyes. Xander looked hurt, but Angie smiled at him.

"I'm Angie and this is Roku. Don't mind him though, he likes you, he's just overly-concerned and too stubborn for his own good. Welcome to Sinnoh!"


	2. Chapter 2

Note: Nothing in this story that belongs to Pokemon belongs to me.

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Not Another Pokefic 2-The First Battle

"So, where are you from?"

"A place called Petalburg City. It's in Hoenn."

"Is it nice there?"

"Yeah, it's just a little bigger than here, but only because it has a gym."

"Any other girls in your life?"

"Angie!"

"…eh….?"

The three newfound friends were walking around the nearby lake, Lake Verity. As they walked, they were trying to needle Xander for more information about him. Despite the fact that he was friendly, he was very reserved when it came to information about him.

"So, how good of a battler are you?" Roku asked.

"I dunno. I don't really fight. It's just Riddle and me, so we're not too amazing…" Xander responded.

"Riddle?" Angie and Roku asked.

Xander pulled out a Pokeball and tossed it. The Ralts came out and looked around. Before it managed to get its bearings, it was picked up and squeezed tightly by a specific raven-haired female.

"Oooh, it's so cute!" Angie said, squeezing Riddle tightly. Riddle started to flail its arms to get free. He didn't mind the compliments; his lungs were just getting constricted by the squeeze.

"So, you're more like Angie and prefer breeding over battling?" Roku asked.

"No, it's just…I really don't know what I am. Riddle and I haven't battled too often yet, so…" Riddle said, nervously.

"How bout a battle after we get our starters?" Roku asked.

"Eh? Starters?" Xander said, looking a little stunned. He was going to go on a new journey, but this soon?

"Yeah!" Angie said, smiling and holding Riddle. The Ralts seemed more content now that Angie had loosened her grip, and was even smiling? "We're going to see Professor Rowan as we speak."

"Rowan…?" Xander asked.

"The leading Pokemon authority in Sinnoh," Roku explained.

"Ooh…let's go then!" Xander said.

And with that, the three were off, talking about the Pokemon they might get. It was a short walk, arriving back in Twinleaf in less than 10 minutes. They approached the lab and entered inside.

"Hello? Welcome to Rowan Labs!" a cheery voice called out from another room.

"Hi Professor Rowan!" Angie called back.

"Hello Angie! I take it Roku's here too?" the voice, Professor Rowan's, called out again.

"Yes professor, I'm here," the battle-hungry trainer replied.

"Professor! We brought a new friend! His name is Xander and he comes from Hoenn!" Angie called.

"Hmm? The champion Xander?" Rowan asked, emerging from another room. The professor stared at Xander for a second, trying to see similarities between the two.

"Ah, you must be m-mistaking me for s-someone else…" Xander said, his stutter returning.

"Really…you look a lot like him…" Rowan said, inquisitively. "Are you sure you're not the champion?"

"R-really, I'm not…" Xander said nervously.

"If you say so. Anyway, why are you here?" Rowan asked.

"We're here for our starters!" Angie said happily.

"We're going to start our adventure tomorrow!" Roku exclaimed.

"I guess I'm going with them…?" Xander said, scratching his head.

"Well, in that case, right this way!" Rowan said happily

The professor led them into another room in the back. He pressed a button and opened another door, leading them into a smaller, darker room. In the middle was a glowing pedestal with a Pokeball-like dome encasing the top. The professor pressed a button and the dome opened and slid away. Inside were three Pokeballs with symbols for their respective types-fire, water, and grass. Xander noticed a fourth symbol with an electric symbol, however he dismissed this as a power source. Rowan pressed another button and the Pokeballs all opened, letting loose their inhabitants.

"These are the three starters: Turtwig, the grass-type; Chimchar, the fire-type; and Piplup, the water-type," Rowan said.

Before anyone could react, Angie ran over to Turtwig. She picked up the small turtle and cuddled it. Holding it in her arms, she reached over and took its Pokeball.

"I'll take this one, Professor Rowan," she said, stroking it. "I'll call you Bonsai."

Roku and Xander stared at the remaining two. A monkey with a burning bum or a blue penguin. Which would they choose? Xander moved first. He walked over to the two. Both of the remaining starters looked up at Xander. Xander reached over and picked up the Pokeball next to the water-type symbol. He then picked up the Piplup and held it at arm's length, observing the blue penguin.

"Professor Rowan, I'll take Piplup. Thank you," he said, bringing the Piplup closer to his body. "I'll name you Deep Azure," he mumbled, making his words only audible to Deep Azure himself.

Roku, left with no other choice, was forced to take Chimchar. He named it Inferno, thanked Professor Rowan, and took its Pokeball.

"You three should rest up tonight. You have a long journey ahead of you tomorrow," Rowan said. Xander, Angie, and Roku thanked him. They turned to leave, but Rowan stopped them.

"I almost forgot. This is a PokeDex. With it, any Pokemon you come across will be recorded with it, including its height, weight, gender, possible techniques, etc. If you manage to find and record all 150 Pokemon in Sinnoh, bring it back here and I'll have a reward for you," Rowan explained. He then handed them the small red computer encyclopedia. The three thanked him again then left.

Roku, not forgetting his request to Xander, brought it up again. He was ready to battle and wanted to see how well this newcomer from Hoenn fought. The idea that Xander could be the Hoenn Champion was really rattling his mind too.

"Hey Xander, how about that battle now?" Roku asked.

Xander looked over at Angie for an answer. Anger nodded at him, so Xander looked at Roku and accepted his offer. Both took ten paces from each other, turned and stared at each other. Roku was focused, ready to battle, ready to see his opponent humiliated and defeated. Xander, however, seemed unaffected, almost like he was used to this sort of things. Both pulled out Pokeballs, ready to fight. They tossed them in the air. The Pokeballs opened and their inhabitants were set free although only temporarily.

"Go Sparks!"

"Go Riddle."

Their Pokemon appeared and stared at each other. Oddly enough, their Pokemon displayed similar emotions as their masters. Sparks seemed all fired up. Riddle, on the other hand, looked ready, but mostly uninterested. They faced off ready for their masters command. Angie watched closely to see what her friends would do and how the battle would turn out. She let Bonsai and Riley out to watch with her. Nobody moved after that, not until the first shot was fired.

"Sparks, Thunder Wave, then Quick Attack!" Roku commanded.

The Pikachu growled and launched off a wave of energy from its body.

"Riddle, Teleport then use Double Team," Riddle said.

The Ralts did as it was told. It Teleported successfully, dodging the Thunder Wave. By the time Sparks had launched off his Quick Attack, it was already surrounded by multiple Ralts. Sparks looked around, trying to figure out the real one among the fakes.

"Riddle, Confusion."

On command, the psychic blast came from one of the Ralts in the ring. However, Sparks was caught on unawares and didn't get enough time to react. The psychic blast hit Sparks from the side, knocking him off his feet and sprawling on the ground. Angie became much more interested in the fight. She had seen Roku fight before and Roku usually won. However, Xander was making this fight more interesting. Xander seemed to have something Roku didn't: technique, skill, and a little bit of ruthlessness. Indeed, Xander was a much better trainer than Roku was. Tied in with how well trained Riddle was and how much skill he had, it almost seemed that Roku was fated to lose. However, both had two Pokemon, and Roku could easily bring out Inferno after Sparks was knocked out.

"Riddle, Confusion again."

Before Sparks had time to recover, Riddle had loosed another psychic attack on the yellow rodent. Sparks was completely unable to defend himself and was knocked out. Reluctantly, Roku recalled Sparks. He put Sparks' Pokeball away and took out Inferno's. Roku released the Chimchar from its Pokeball and got ready. He was unsure of its attacks, but he had to give it a shot. It was his only Pokemon left. He tossed the Pokeball in the air and sent out his Chimchar.

"Go Inferno!"

Xander and Riddle watched as their opponent showed itself. The little monkey looked around, then focused on its targets (as Riddle hadn't called off the Double Team). Inferno waited for its master's command.

"Uhh...Scratch?"

Inferno nodded and launched itself at the ring of Ralts.

"Confusion."

A psychic blast hit the airborne monkey and knocked it out immediately. Riddle completely trounced it. Roku embarrassedly recalled the Chimchar. He looked up at Xander. Xander was good. Maybe a little too good, he thought. Xander smiled and hugged Riddle.

"Good job buddy," he said, recalling the Ralts to its Pokeball.

"Wow Xander, that was amazing!" Angie yelled, running over to Xander. Her Pokemon ran up too. "Roku's never been beaten before!"

"Thanks Angie..." Xander replied, smiling nervously. Maybe I should've gone easier on Roku, he thought. But, either way, the battle was over and he showed his ability perfectly. He was in hot water, but he assumed that neither were suspicious of him.

"That was...amazing...thank you Xander..." Roku said, feeling the humiliation and sense of defeat that he so strive to make his opponents feel. "Well, I'll see you guys in the morning..."

"Good night Roku!" Angie said, smiling.

"Good night. Nice battle," Xander called after him. He stopped and blinked, realizing how late it was. "Ah, I guess I should be heading off too. Where are we meeting tomorrow?"

"Uh...how bout the town exit?" Angie suggested.

"Sure, I guess," Xander agreed. "Can I see the PokeDex? There's something I was gonna do tonight, but I need that to do it."

Angie thought it over a second, then nodded. She gave him the PokeDex. Xander thanked her for it, then said goodnight and ran off home. Angie went her own direction to her house. For some odd reason, she thought, she wished she wasn't heading home by herself.

The three spent their nights preparing for the next morning and saying good night to their parents. Tomorrow they would begin their adventure. All of them felt excited to be leaving home and exploring the vast continent of Sinnoh and all of them had their dreams to accomplish.

After everyone else was asleep, Xander pulled out a box he had been keeping. It contained some of the gear he had used Hoenn, like his Pokenav, his communication earpieces, his PokeDex case and link, and his special Shoe devices. Tomorrow will be an interesting and fun day, he thought. He laid out his clothes, the equipment, and his bag. Then he crawled into bed and went to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Note: Anything that belongs to Pokemon in this story does not belong to me.

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Not Another Pokefic-On the Road (Again)

Sunlight was just breaking over the horizon when Angie awoke from her sleep. Today was the day, the start of her journey. She was going to go out and become a great breeder in the Sinnoh region, and hopefully would gain recognition throughout the world. She hastily got dressed, pulling on her skirt and tank top and adjusting her hairpin. Once she deemed herself 'ready', she checked the contents of her bag to make sure she had everything. Everything was packed and ready, just how she had left it last night. She walked to her bedroom door and opened it, but stopped. She turned around and took one last look at her room. Angie nodded to herself and walked over to the Aipom stuffed animal lying on her bed. She gave it a quick squeeze, then left. Good-bye room, she thought. I'll miss you. Then she left her room and closed the door behind her.

As she walked downstairs, she was buzzing with excitement. She couldn't wait to get out on the road and to get going. She walked into the kitchen and flicked the lights on. Then Angie quickly pulled out various foods and started cooking, preparing a meal for herself and her family, for whenever they would wake up. Her breakfast, just a few slices of toast and jam, was made in a few minutes. She left the bread out for her family, then sat down and ate. Her meal was gone in a few quick bites, too impatient to actually stop and chew the food. She wrote a quick good-bye on her napkin, then dashed out the door to the arranged meeting point.

Xander woke a little after sunrise. He got up out of bed and yawned, looking around. There was a little excitement inside of him, but not so much. Still, however, he had to at least seem somewhat excited for his friends. This was their first journey after all, so they deserved an exciting start. Xander yawned again and stretched, glancing at the equipment sitting on his desk. He stayed up late to work on it, and it still wasn't fully done. Xander sighed and got up. Working on these was boring to him, but he knew that he had to do it. He walked over to his desk and went back to work again.

Meanwhile Roku woke up with a start. He looked really tired still, but he couldn't contain his excitement. Sleeping wasn't much help either, for his excitement was keeping him awake.. Finally, he was going to leave Twinleaf and start his own adventure. He was going to put his name out there. He was gain the respect of others and be feared by many as well. At least, that was what he dreamed. Becoming the Champion of Sinnoh would be good, but it wasn't necessarily the idea. Roku didn't care if he did or didn't become champion. He got up and hurriedly changed into his clothes, pulling the hoodie over his head and tying his bandanna tight around his forehead. He then quickly packed his bag and threw it on his back. Roku dashed out his bedroom door and ran downstairs for a quick breakfast.

Xander finally completed his work on the equipment. He realized, however, that he hadn't gotten ready yet. The sun was pretty high in the sky now, and if he didn't hurry, he would be late. He didn't want that to happen, so he got up and threw his pajamas off. He quickly pulled his clothing on his body and threw his bag over his shoulder. He grabbed the equipment and ran downstairs to eat.

Roku had eaten by now and was completely ready. He wanted to leave, but his parents wouldn't let him go without saying good-bye. He grudgingly said his farewells, then dashed out the door. He then stopped suddenly. Roku had no idea where to go to meet his friends. He groaned, calling himself completely stupid for forgetting to ask. The trainer then pulled Sparks' Pokeball off his belt and dropped it on the ground. The Pokemon came out and looked at its own for a command.

"Find the others," Roku commanded.

The Pikachu nodded. It raised its nose into the air and started sniffing. It stayed like that for a few moments. Suddenly, it got a scent.

"Pika, Pika!" it yelled, pointing off towards the town entrance. Then it turned and dashed off. Roku followed it closely.

Xander had eaten and said his good-byes. However, by now, the sun had really risen in the sky. He judged it to be around 9:00, guessing from its position. Xander frowned. He was going to be really late at this rate. Xander pulled a part of his equipment on, his shoe boosters. He pulled an earpiece over his ear, then nodded. He knew where to go, so he wasn't too worried. He activated his shoe boosters and dashed off.

Angie, by this time, was becoming really antsy. Her patience was really being tested here. Her friends had yet to show up, despite both of them knowing that they had to be here. Yet she didn't go. It wouldn't be fair to her friends, because they wouldn't know where to go or what to do. Well, Xander wouldn't anyway. Roku might fair a little better than Xander would. But her worries were relieved a little when she saw Roku's figure heading towards her over the horizon. Roku dashed towards her, smiling broadly. He seemed happy to see her too.

"Hey Angie!" he called.

"Hi Roku!" Angie called back, waving.

Roku finally caught up to her. He was panting from running so hard for so long, but he got a rest. Xander wasn't here yet. Roku looked around rapidly. Where _is _Xander, he thought. This was kind of late for a trainer who didn't seem to be the late type. Angie looked around for Xander too. Suddenly, another shape appeared over the horizon, heading at a rather quick pace.

"Hi Xander!" Angie called, waving to him too.

The shape was indeed Xander. His boosters on his shoes allowed him to move at a much quicker pace, however to do it, he had to 'skate' on the ground. When he 'skated', he was moving very much like he was ice-skating...which in fact he was. His boosters created a thin layer of special ice between his shoes and the ground that allowed him to propel himself as if he were skating, in order to move faster. Xander skated up to his friends and slid to a halt.

"Hi Angie!" Xander said, smiling slightly. "I've got a present for you, and you too Roku."

Both Angie and Roku gave him an odd look. Xander just grinned.

"Present?" they both asked him.

Xander nodded, still having that corny grin on his face. He then opened his pack and pulled out the remaining earpieces still in his inventory and also the PokeDex, encased in its special casing with a wire sticking out. This wire traveled all the way up to one of the earpieces and was plugged into it. Xander walked over to Angie and slid the band that was around the PokeDex case around her arm. He then slid the earpiece on her ear. Xander offered the other earpiece to Roku, who put it on himself. Angie looked at both of the equipment she was just given. Roku just gave him an odd look. Xander stared at them a second, then realized why they were giving him these odd looks. He hadn't explained how to use the equipment yet.

"Alright, I had this special equipment and I thought it would come in handy," Xander said. "The earpieces I gave you are naturally for communication. This way, we'll be able to talk to each other when we're a little bit of aways apart. There's also a scouter inside to register to our earpieces Pokemon that we come across. The data for the Pokemon is then sent to the PokeDex, which Angie is in charge of. We can also send images to each other through the earpieces too. Do you all get that?"

Both of them nodded slowly. They weren't entirely sure how it worked, but they were confident that they would figure it out as time goes on. Xander smiled at the both of them. He had actually made friends, this early too. Suddenly, Angie's excitement got the better of her again.

"C'mon guys, let's hit the road!" she said. Then she marched off. Both Roku and Xander looked at each other, then ran off after her.


	4. Chapter 4

Note: No characters belonging to Pokemon are owned by me.

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Not Another Pokefic-Sandgem Town

The sun was up now and lit everything around the traveling trio. Pokemon were stirring and becoming active. Wild Starly were fluttering from tree to tree and wild Bidoof were out foraging for their breakfast. None of them, however, were interested in these wild Pokemon. Xander nearly did go for one before Roku told him how common they were. The group also couldn't risk any sort of delays to reach Sandgem town or else they might've had to camp out tonight. So the group bypassed any Pokemon they met on the way.

Angie was growing bored with the silence. Despite their building friendships, none of them were saying a word. She usually wasn't one to talk herself, but the silence was beginning to bother her. She looked towards Xander to see what he was doing. The newcomer was staring off at the clouds in the sky with a smile on his face. Xander loved watching the clouds roll by. It was sort of soothing to him. However, today, there weren't many out.

"What're you doing, Xander?" Angie asked.

"Huh?" Xander said, snapping his attention towards Angie. "Oh, I was cloud-watching."

"Why?" she asked.

"It's sorta soothing, I guess..." Xander replied, scratching his head. He didn't really get why he liked it either, but watching the clouds was something he loved to do. Then he returned to his upward gaze. Angie frowned. Her attempt to create a friendly conversation failed. She looked over at Roku. The blond trainer seemed to be deep in thought as well. Angie thought it over for a second, before sighing. This was getting her nowhere. The silence was dull.

"So, uh, what's your favorite contest?" she asked, hoping this would cause a conversation. To her luck, it did.

"I like cool contests," Roku said, snapping away from his deep thought for a second. "They're fun to participate in and it really makes me feel cool."

"Back in Hoenn, I liked to smart contests, cause they were fun and easy for me," Xander replied. "Which ones do you like to do, Angie?"

"I like beauty contests. Winning makes me feel beautiful..." she said, daydreaming of a victory. She blinked and snapped back to attention. "Are contests in Hoenn any different than the ones in Sinnoh?"

"I dunno, how do the ones in Sinnoh work?"

Angie chuckled a little, then began to explain to Xander how contests worked. "Contests are held in one contest hall in a place called Hearthome City. We should be going there sometime, so you'll get to see it. But...they're divided into three parts. The first part is the Visual part. This is where you get to dress up your Pokemon based on a certain theme with special items to dress your Pokemon up with. Feeding them a Poffin or two doesn't hurt either," she said.

"Poffin?" Xander interrupted.

"Mhm. It's a bread-like food for Pokemon that increases their appearance in the contests. Certain flavored Poffins enhance certain aspects of a Pokemon. For example, sour Poffin helps a Pokemon look more tough," she explained.

"Oh, so like a Pokeblock bread?" Xander asked.

"What's a Pokeblock?" Angie said, giving Xander an odd look.

"They're something like this..." Xander said. He opened his bag and fished around in it a second before pulling out a small case filled to the brim with multi-colored cubes. He opened the case and shook it. Two cubes fell out into his hand. He held them up to Angie for her to see. "These are Pokeblocks. They essentially do the same thing as Poffin, they just are candy instead of bread."

"Ooh, I see..." Angie said.

"Can you continue with your explanation?" Xander asked, putting the Pokeblocks away.

"Oh, right! Uh...oh yeah, the second part is Dancing. In it, there's a lead dancer and three backup dancers. The lead dancer's job is to set a dance, while the backup dancers are supposed to match the dance," Angie explained. "A Pokemon gets two turns to be the lead dancer, then they alternate until everyone's had a turn."

"I see...what's the third part?" Xander asked.

"The third part is acting. This is when trainers command their Pokemon do specific moves in order to impress a group of judges. You select one judge to perform for and then you perform the move. You can get some good bonuses if no one else performs for your judge," Angie said, smiling.

"Ah, I see..." Xander said, nodding slowly. "That's a lot different than Hoenn..."

"Really? How were Pokemon contests there?" Angie said, looking inquisitively at Xander.

"Well, they were vastly different. You used Pokeblocks instead of Poffin to boost your Pokemon's appearance. Also, we only did the Acting part, no dressing up or dancing. There used to be four separate contest halls, but they did change it to just one contest hall after the Battle Frontier was made. But at least there's an improvement when-" Xander said, getting cut off.

"What's the Battle Frontier?" Roku asked. He had become suddenly interested when the word 'battle' was spoken. Xander blinked and looked at his fellow trainer. He sighed. Explaining things was a hassle, but he didn't really have anybody else to explain for him. So he began explaining what the Battle Frontier was like. Xander did enjoy it a little, the Battle Frontier was a great place. Their conversations continued like this for the rest of the journey. They talked about the differences between Hoenn and Sinnoh. All three of them, by the time they were approaching Sandgem, were amazed at some of the similarities and the differences between the two regions. Suddenly, Angie realized how close they were to Sandgem.

"Hey guys, I can see it!" she yelled, pointing off to the small, beach-side village in the distance. Finally, Sandgem town. It was their first stop on their way to Oreburgh City, the home of the very first gym. However, to go there, they would have to pass through Sandgem and eventually Jubilife City. Besides, they had been walking all day, and Angie was certainly glad to get a rest and a bed to sleep in.

"So that's Sandgem..." Xander said, staring at the small town. "It's...quaint, I guess..."

"Well, what are we waiting around here for? Let's go!" Roku yelled, running toward the small town. Angie dashed after him. Xander sighed and ran after them. They were really energetic, he thought. Oh well, it seems like fun.

The group managed to reach Sandgem before the sun went down. They walked around town asking for directions to the nearest Pokemon Center. A kind woman told them the way to it. They thanked the lady and then ran off towards it. Within ten minutes, they had arrived at their destination. They walked into a Pokemon, the first for Angie and Roku. Both of them couldn't help but to look around the building. It was new to them. However, Xander, who had seen every Pokemon Center, shrugged. Each one was just like the next, right down to the nurses who ran them.

After Angie and Roku finished their look-around of the Center, they walked up to the nurse in charge. To Xander, this one looked just like the others at a glance. White outfit and burning red hair. No different from the one in Petalburg or the one in Fortree, at least not from a glance. There were minor differences among them, Xander was sure, but from a quick outward glance, they were all exactly the same as the rest. He chuckled a little. New trainers seeing their second Pokemon Center were often quite a scene to see. Their shock at seeing a lady just like the one at the last Pokemon Center they were in was quite humorous to veteran trainers. However, Xander himself still wasn't used to the similarities between them. It kind of unnerved him, like someone getting the bright idea to make 100 clones of the same person and give them all nursing jobs. Either way, they had to get a key from this woman in order to spend the night their.

"Hi, can we get one room key please?" Xander asked. The nurse nodded in response and pulled out a small, steel key.

"Are you new trainers?" the nurse asked. Both Angie and Roku nodded. "Okay then, let me explain what you do when you come to a Pokemon Center."

Xander took the opportunity to leave. He had to start training his Piplup in order to prepare it for the next gym, his first gym battle. Riddle would be fine, he thought, but he had to make sure that Deep Azure was ready for the fight. So, quietly exiting the red and white building, he snuck off to the beach to begin his training of the blue and white penguin Pokemon.

Once outside, Xander paused and thought for a second. He remembered passing the beach on his way here. Delving through the contents of his mind, he eventually remembered its location and dashed off to find the beach. Xander ducked and dodged the small population of Sandgem Town, nearly running into somebody twice. He didn't have much time between now and dinner though, so he had to make as much use of it as possible. The trainer managed to reach the beach shortly. He stopped to catch his breath for only a moment, then released both Riddle and Deep Azure. Xander gave the instructions, then sat down and watched what his Pokemon could do.

Meanwhile, back at the Pokemon Center, Roku and Angie were unpacking their things and preparing for the night. Both of them prepared their beds, while food was being provided by the Pokemon Center for them. Roku was a little relieved. Warm food and a cozy bed awaited him. All he had to do was eat dinner and...wait. Something's missing. Or rather. Someone. Roku looked around, trying to figure out where Xander was. Roku was a little shocked. Did they lose him? Did he run away? He hoped not. Otherwise, he couldn't battle him again. And if he didn't battle again, how could Roku beat him? Roku sighed and decided to shrug it off. He was probably somewhere around, doing something that Roku wasn't interested in.

Around this time, Angie noticed Xander was missing too. Angie became instantly worried. She wondered where he went. Did he get lost? Did he leave them? She hoped not, she was beginning to become close friends with Xander and didn't want to lose his friendship already. She rushed to finish preparing for the night, laying her journal under the pillow provided and laying her bad next to her bed.

"Roku, Xander's missing!" Angie said, after she completed her routine.

"I noticed," Roku replied, uncaring. "He's probably out on a walk staring at the clouds or he ran to get them. He'll be back."

"I'm going to go look for him!" Angie said. The female breeder ran out the door and left the Pokemon Center. Roku grumbled. Now both of his friends had left. He might as well train, he thought. Roku grabbed his Pokemon and left, hoping to be lucky enough to find a cool Pokemon to catch.

Angie dashed through the town, going what would've been the long way around to the beach, if she knew that's where Xander went. However she didn't. She had remembered to ask the nurse if she had seen Xander leave. The nurse said she had, just as they were checking in. However, she didn't know where he went, so she apologized to Angie for not being able to help much. Angie ran through the town. She looked along the streets and checked the PokeMart to see if he was there. Unfortunately, he wasn't in either location. Angie finally arrived at the stretch of sand that reached up into Sandgem Town. She noticed a fresh set of footprints in the sand. She got a hunch and followed the footprints. At the end of it was her target-the missing trainer, Xander. His Pokemon were still training hard. Deep Azure was panting, and Riddle had started to look a little fatigued. Angie was amazed that the little Piplup had held up so long against something that had completely demolished Sparks and Inferno. Xander closed his eyes for a second. Then he nodded.

"That's good guys, take a break," he said. His Pokemon both smiled and jumped into the water. They splashed about in the waves, enjoying the fresh feeling of the cool water against their fatigued bodies. Angie watched Xander and his Pokemon for a second, smiling at them. The trainer was really talented, she thought. Xander was staring at the sky, watching the sunset. He appeared to be deep in thought. Angie wondered what went on up in his head. Was he plotting on how to make his Pokemon better? Was he trying to figure out what he was going to accomplish here? Or was it something else? Angie shyly removed herself from her hiding place and walked over to Xander. She quietly sat down next to him, hoping the sand muffled her footsteps. However, she was unlucky. Xander heard her.

"Looks like you've found me," Xander said. He turned his head and looked at her. Angie blushed, then nodded. "Sorry for running away," Xander said. "I just wanted to try and train here. This beach is a good location for Deep Azure to fight and I wanted to try and see him fight when he's got an advantage in the location..."

"It's okay," Angie said, smiling at Xander. Xander returned her smile, then looked back at the sunset. Angie also turned her gaze towards the sun. It was the end of their first day on their adventure. Xander knew there'd be many more days before this adventure had ended. However, he wanted to enjoy each and every day. He certainly was today.

"You know," Xander said, "I used to think I was going to hate coming here. I really did like Hoenn and didn't want to leave. I didn't want to leave my friends behind and I didn't want to leave my own home. Also, I didn't want to leave my Pokemon behind and I really would mis the Battle Frontier. But, I'm kinda glad I did move here. Sinnoh has beautiful sunsets, and I'm sure there'll be many more beautiful places to see along the way. Also, if I didn't move, I wouldn't have been able to meet such a good friend like you," Xander said, smiling at Angie. Then he suddenly got really nervous saying that. He turned his head away and blushed. "...a-and R-Roku too..." he mumbled, his stutter returning.

Angie giggled a little at his nervousness. She found it cute and a little sweet. Xander was really letting his true feelings out and she was glad. Xander seemed like the kind that would be hard to crack and show his true feelings. He was pretty emotionless, whether it came to battle or other subjects. However, he seemed to be a deep thinker and he expressed a good interest in learning and his new friends. Angie smiled. She got the feeling she could trust Xander.

Now, during this time, Roku was just completing his own training. He returned his Pokemon and surveyed the damage left by them. There were a lot of scorch marks left in the surrounding grass and trees. A lot of the area was covered in ash. Roku sighed. His Pokemon were really destructive. However, there wasn't much he could really do at the moment. So he left it as is and went to find his companions. He first checked the room to see if they were back yet. However, there wasn't a sign of them. Roku grumbled and went to find them. He left the building and went what would've been the short way to the beach, if he knew that's where his friends were.

"Hey, what's that?" Xander asked, pointing out into the distance. Something was floating to shore. He couldn't make out what it was, but it looked round, almost egg-shaped. However, it was hard to tell from this distance. "Deep Azure!" he commanded. "Go get that object!" The Piplup nodded in response and swam out to get the object. It quickly reached it and stuck it on its back. Then it rapidly swam into shore. It ran the object to its trainer. Xander looked it over for a second. It was an egg, alright, but it wasn't one he hadn't seen before. It was blue in color with white spots lining themselves in a circle around the egg. In the center of the egg was a red mass, though Xander couldn't tell what it was. It was definitely an egg though.

"Wow..." Xander said, wondering about the egg. "I wonder who dropped this in the ocean..."

"They were pretty careless to do that," Angie said. "But...uh..Xander, can I take care of the egg...?"

Xander looked it over for a second, before smiling and nodding at her. He handed her the egg. Angie put on a warm, motherly like smile. She cradled the egg in her arms. She seemed very warm now, Xander thought, giving off a motherly aura. Xander felt that she would take very good care of whatever Pokemon hatched from that egg.

Around this time, Roku was discovering them on the beach. He smiled. So Xander hadn't run away, he thought.

"Yo!" he called, getting the attention of Angie and Xander. Xander recalled his Pokemon, then both of them got up and ran to their friend. "So, it looks like you found the runaway," Roku said once his friends approached him.

"Sorry bout that..." Xander said nervously. "I didn't know y-you guys would worry about me th-that much..."

"It's okay," Roku said. "Just don't do it again." Xander nodded in agreement.

"Alright then, let's go back and have dinner!"

"Okay! I'm starving!!"

"I am a little hungry, and I'm sure my Pokemon could use a good meal..."

With that, the three ran back to the center. All of them ate their dinners rapidly. It was a light dinner, consisting of mostly pasta for energy for walking tomorrow. Xander enjoyed a little, but Pokemon Center food was mostly pasta, for the same reason. It was the thing that unnerved him the most about the Pokemon Centers, they were exactly alike. Though the rooms for three were different than the rooms for four, he thought. That was a nice change.

Once they had finished their dinners, they realized how tired they were. They slipped into their pajamas and went to bed. Roku and Xander both fell asleep immediately. She was excited about tomorrow, and she still had to finish her journal entry. She pulled the pen out that she kept with it at all times. She flicked on a small light attached to the journal and began to write.

_Journal Entry-Sinnoh Gym Circuit, Day 1._

_Well, I finally got started. Today was full of surprises. Hoenn sure is different than Sinnoh, if Xander described everything accurately!! I hope I get to go there someday. Maybe he'll take me if he goes back to visit? Also, Xander was really sweet on the beach. He says he's happy to be here! That's good, I'm glad he's not homesick. Or maybe he is...? I've also found an egg on the beach! It looks rare, too. I wonder what's inside? Anyway, tomorrow we start out for Jubilife! I better get some sleep!_

_-Angie_

With that, she flicked the small light off, returned the small pen and replaced it under her pillow. Angie hugged the egg that she found today, covered herself up and slowly fell asleep.

Meanwhile, outside, two shadowy figures watched from the window. Both of them had teal hair and wore similar uniforms of gray. Emblazoned on their chests was a bright yellow G. They took the risk and peeked inside to see if the group was all asleep. Once they realized that it was safe, they looked around inside. One of them, the male, spotted the egg in Angie's arms. He growled, and at the same time, was despairing.

"Darnit!" he said. "They got the egg!"

"Well, if you hadn't dropped it on the way here, this wouldn't have happened," the second, a female, scolded. "We'll have to report this failure to Cyrus."

"We could just break in and steal it back," the first suggested again, looking hopeful. That was his only chance at redemption.

"Are you blind? _He's_ with them! If we break in, we'll wake him up. If we do, we'll get defeated and captured for sure! What's worse, whatever Master Cyrus can think up or jail?" the second hissed.

"Well, jail's not sounding too bad, compared to what Master Cyrus could do to me..." the first said, feeling small and weak.

"Well, you may get lucky and get a chance at redemption if you go back. If you're in jail, you're not going to get another chance. Now come on. Let's get going," The second said, trying to reason with her cowardly partner.

"Fine, let's go," the first said reluctantly. And with that, the two shadowy figures dashed off.


	5. Chapter 5

Not Another Pokefic-Xander's First Catch and First Match

The nighttime hours began to end. The blue sky began to be lit with shades of oranges and yellows given off by the sun. The stars began to fade and the moon slid under the horizon. Morning had arrived. Unfortunately, the sun shone directly in the window at Angie. She scrunched her face up, trying to block out the light, but to no avail. She was awake now. Angie sat up and rubbed her eyes. She looked around the room to see everything was like she remembered. She looked over at her friends. Xander was soundly sleeping, looking peaceful as ever. Roku had obviously had an odd dream of sorts because he had rolled out of bed and was sleeping on the floor, however he was still covered up and somehow had managed to drag his pillow with him. Angie chuckled a little. The trainer slept so heavily that he didn't even wake up from falling onto the floor.

Angie pulled the covers off herself and slid out of bed. Quietly, she opened her bag and extracted a set of clean clothes and some bathroom supplies. Then she crept out the door and soundlessly shut it behind her. Once out, the trainer tiptoed down the hall and went into the bathroom to shower.

Meanwhile, Xander slowly began to wake too. He cracked an eye open and noticed the light pouring into the small room. The trainer sighed and got up. He couldn't go back to sleep now. Xander sat on his bed blinking for a few moments. He looked around and smiled at the egg on Angie's bed. It seemed fine. Maybe it would hatch soon, Xander thought. He looked over at Roku and chuckled softly at the trainer. He had rolled out of bed and onto the floor in the middle of the night. That explained the _thud_ he had heard in the middle of the night. Having showered last night, Xander pulled out a comb, toothpaste, and a toothbrush from his bag. He removed a set of his own clothes and wandered off to the bathroom.

Angie showered quickly, ready to get going again. Hopefully Xander and Roku were already awake. She hastily finished getting ready and pulled on her clothes. She gathered her belongings and ran back to the room. If one or both of them hadn't gotten up yet, they were going to get a rude awakening.

Xander had also finished around the same time Angie had. He exited the bathroom and watched her dash back to the room. He thought she was being rather loud for a morning. Xander watched as Angie pulled the door open. She noticed the unmoving mass that was Roku. She then walked into the room and slammed the door shut. A lot of clanging soon followed, then shouting was heard, mostly from Roku. Xander chuckled a little and walked back to the room himself. He opened the door and walked into a possible disaster zone.

Apparently, after Angie had slammed the door shut, she shuffled through her bag for a set of pans. Once she found them, she started clanging them together and marching around the room to wake Roku up. It worked. However, Roku was not a morning person. The clanging and rude awakening had made him grumpy and now he was in a foul mood, which was why he had yelled. He apologized afterwards, but he still seemed pretty grumpy. Angie, however, sent him from the room to shower and get dressed for the day.

While Roku was showering, Xander and Angie picked up the room a little. They made Roku's bed while he was away, picked up their own stuff and slung their bags over their shoulders. Angie reached into her bed and picked up the egg that she was now taking care of. Then they sat on their beds and waited for Roku to come back. The trainer eventually did. He put his own stuff away and then picked up his own bag. Roku still looked rather grumpy, though.

Angie, Roku, and Xander all went to breakfast once they deemed their room clean. This too was being provided by the nurse of the Pokemon Center. Despite their creepiness and how similar they looked, these nurses did make good meals for trainers passing through. The group dined on a light breakfast, before leaving the Pokemon Center again.

Morning had indeed broken. Although it was a small seaside town, Sandgem was already beginning to stir. Its residents had already awoken and were taking part in the community as a part of their daily lives. People were heading off to work. Children were waking up and studying or playing with their Pokemon. This small town was indeed a quaint place, and Xander liked it here. It was quiet, peaceful, and yet unique and lively. People lived happily here and they seemed to know one another. The sort of town Xander liked. However, he could not remain. His friends were already leaving him behind. Xander easily caught up, with a little help from his shoes. Xander turned around at the entrance to the town and took one long last look. He wasn't sure if he'd see this place again. Then he turned around and walked away, heading out onto the road again.

Route 202 was even shorter than Route 201, surprisingly. Xander was partially happy for this. They could reach Jubilife by midday. Xander had heard it was one of the biggest cities of Sinnoh if not the biggest. He couldn't wait to check it out a little. Roku was still pretty grumpy from his special wake up call. However, for the most part, he was over it. He should enjoy it out, it was a somewhat nice day and he could very well catch a Pokemon along the way to Route 202. Angie was humming to herself to break the silence. She hummed a catchy tune that Xander somehow got stuck in his head, despite his daydreaming. She skipped along happily, clutching the blue egg in her arms and kept a slightly fast pace. Xander and Roku were nearly jogging to keep up with her.

"Jubilife City...I wonder what it's like?" Xander said, trying to press them for some information about the town they were coming up on.

"It's a really big city, probably the biggest in Sinnoh!" Angie said. "It's really fun too. It's positioned perfectly between the cities of Floaroma, Oreburgh, Canalave, and Sandgem, so it's got a lot of people passing through everyday. It's also the site of the Global Trading Center, where many people gather to trade Pokemon. There's also the Pokemon School, which gathers a lot of people and the T.V. Station and Poketch Company! A lot of people come there for all sorts of things!"

"Hmm...sounds like fun!" Xander said, grinning at Angie. Angie smiled at him too.

Now Xander was excited, sort of like a new kid getting candy. However, it was also vastly different, as Xander's 'candy' was the opportunity to explore a new city and possibly pick up some new Pokemon. The Global Trading Center sounded like a great opportunity to get a Pokemon.

Just then a blue streak passed in front of them. The streak kept going until stopping and resting in front of a tree. Angie and Roku both recognized the Pokemon, but to Xander it was a new sight. He instantly scanned it with his earpiece and sent the information to the PokeDex. Both Angie and Roku immediately knew what it was by the star-shaped fur at the end of its tail. The Shinx licked its paw and settled down for a nap. Unfortunately for the Shinx, it wasn't going to get its rest just yet.

"Go, Riddle."

Xander tossed the Pokeball into the air. It opened and its inhabitant came out in a bright light. The light settled on the ground and the Ralts appeared. It looked around, trying to figure out its target. It looked over at Xander for a command. Xander pointed over at the Shinx and the Ralts nodded. The Shinx opened an eye lazily, noticing that it was being targeted. The Ralts launched a Hypnosis blast at it to try and put it to sleep, but the Pokemon lazily dodged it. Xander frowned slightly. He could've easily caught the Shinx if it hadn't dodged the Hypnosis blast. He had been careless, assuming that the Shinx didn't realize it was being targeted. Riddle looked to Xander and Xander nodded. Riddle turned to the Shinx again, who seemed to be mocking them. It flicked its tail lazily, trying to get them to attack again. Riddle teleported over to the Shinx and launched another Hypnosis blast at point blank. The Shinx didn't have a chance. Even if it tried to dodge, it wouldn't have enough time to get away. It was immediately put to sleep. Xander readied a Pokeball and tossed it at the Shinx. It hit the Pokemon on the head and sucked it in. The ball started wriggling around rapidly.

"3...2...1..." Xander counted off. The ball ceased to wriggle and a familiar _click_ confirmed its capture.

"Click," Xander said, walking over and picking up the Pokeball.

"Congrats on your first catch, Xander!" Angie exclaimed, running over to him.

"Th-thanks," Xander replied, smiling nervously and yet happily at Angie. Angie giggled at him. "What are you gonna name it?"

"Hmm...I dunno. It's a female, so I have to think about it..." Xander said.

"Wha? It's a female? How can you tell?" Angie said, looking shocked. Xander pointed to the earpiece he was wearing.

"This thing allows you to see a Pokemon's stamina, statistics such as its strength and speed, the attacks it knows, and also its gender. You just gotta know how to work it...I should probably teach you..." Xander said.

While Xander and Angie were talking, Roku's jealousy flared again. His grumpiness brought it on a little too. He was happy for Xander's catch, but in truth, he couldn't help be a little jealous of his friends. Xander had already managed to catch a Shinx and Angie had found an egg. What had he caught? Nothing, at the moment. Everything that came along that hadn't been a Starly or Bidoof, one of them had caught. Roku sighed. He was working himself up over nothing. He had to remain calm. They were his friends after all. He would eventually manage to find and catch a Pokemon he liked.

"I got it. I'll call her X-Ray," Xander said.

"That's a...good name," Angie said, smiling. X-Ray seemed odd to her, but in a sense, it sort of fit. The Shinx did have an X in its name, so it worked a little.

With that, the group set off again, determined to reach Jubilife by midday. They were keeping a good pace too. The sun rose higher and higher over their heads and the large city gradually kept getting bigger and bigger on the horizon. However, the sun was beating them. Midday arrived before them to Jubilife City. They were still a few miles from the city too. Xander estimated it'd take another hour or so to get there. He suggested that maybe they should stop and have a picnic. Angie agreed, saying she did have some food on hand in case they had to stop. Roku didn't have any complaints. So they stopped and set up a small spot under a tree to eat their lunch.

Angie sent Xander and Roku to go and wash up in the close by stream to wash their hands. She then took some food from her bag and began to make lunch. It wasn't anything special, not in her opinion. Just a few sandwiches, fruits, and some water bottles. But, it would last them to Jubilife, and the quiet picnic would be enjoyable. It would probably be the last time they'd get a peaceful moment until they left Jubilife. Angie sat down and waited for Xander and Roku to return.

"Go Deep Azure," Xander commanded, tossing the Pokeball into the air.

"Let's go Sparks!" Roku yelled, throwing his own Pokeball into the air and releasing the yellow-furred inhabitant. Riddle and Sparks faced off with the a Starly and a Bidoof, both owned by a pair of trainers in front of them. They were supposed to be getting back to have their lunch. However, just as they finished washing up, these two trainers approached them and challenged them. Xander wanted to refuse them, but Roku beat him to the punch. He accepted their challenge. Xander didn't approve, so he had to make this quick. He stood calmly, waiting for his opponents to make a move. However, the word 'patience' was not a part of Roku's dictionary.

"Sparks, Thundershock the Starly!" Roku yelled. Xander let off a groan. Double battles were supposed to be about teamwork. Rushing in without any clue how good their opponents were was asking for the very defeat Roku loathed. However, Xander decided he'd cover for his partner.

"Deep Azure, Bubble," Xander commanded, calmly.

The Piplup responded accurately. It launched off a swarm of bubbles in front of the Starly, clouding its vision. Before the Starly could respond, high voltage was coursing through its body from the Thundershock. However, the Bidoof had other plans. It tackled Sparks, knocking him to the ground. The Starly flew away from the Bubble attack, then switched direction and came at Sparks with a Quick Attack.

"Deep Azure, Peck that Bidoof," Xander commanded. "Roku! Once the Bidoof's off Sparks, launch an attack at the Starly." Roku nodded in agreement. Xander took a breath as Deep Azure's beak met the Bidoof's body. It was launched off Sparks, who had received a little damage from the Tackle.

"Sparks, Volt Tackle the Starly!" Roku commanded, smiling. Sparks grinned and let electricity surrounded its body. Then, it launched itself into the air straight at the Starly. The Starly panicked, veering off course to dodge. It narrowly dodge the airborne Pikachu, straightening out its path. However, Sparks' Volt Tackle had distracted it long enough for the Starly to be caught in a Bubble storm. The tiny bubbles popped against the Starly, severely damaging it. The Bidoof had recovered and was launching at Deep Azure, but Sparks hit it with a Thundershock. Their opponents stared in shock. They had been beaten, and beaten badly. But the battle wasn't over yet. The trainers recalled their Pokemon and prepared two more Pokeballs. They weren't going to lose yet. They tossed them into the air, releasing two Pokemon, the first being a Wormadam and the second being a Mothim. Xander nodded to himself. He checked their stats with his earpiece, determining their moves and types.

"The Wormadam is a Grass-Bug duel-type, while the Mothim is a Bug-Flying dual type...ah, I got it," Xander mumbled to himself. He then turned to Roku and raised his voice. "Switch to your Chimchar." Roku stared at him for a minute, then nodded. Xander recalled his Piplup. This was a gamble, as he had never trained with this Pokemon before, nor did he give it time to fully recover. But Riddle was at a major disadvantage against two Bug-types, and Deep Azure would have problems with the Wormadam, along with Sparks. There wasn't any other choice but to switch.

"Go, X-Ray," Riddle calmly said.

"Go Inferno!" Roku yelled.

Both of the Pokeballs flew into the air and opened. Their inhabitants poured out in the form of white light. The Chimchar danced around, happy to see the sunlight. The Shinx merely yawned and stared at its opponents. Xander scanned his own Shinx to see what it could or could not do.

"Perfect...it knows Spark," Xander muttered to himself. "Let's get started then. Roku, don't rush them. They're a dangerous pair and it might be r-"

Roku completely ignored what he said.

"Inferno, Ember!" Roku yelled. Inferno dashed towards the Wormadam, grinning. Xander sighed again.

"We don't have a choice, X-Ray. Let's see how well you take commands," Xander said. "Tackle the Mothim before it has a chance to attack the Chimchar." The Shinx looked back at him, nodded to show it understood, then launched off in a tackle. However, just before it hit, the Mothim flew higher and evaded X-Ray's Tackle. However, it gave Inferno the opportunity to hit the Wormadam with an Ember before it could use an attack. The Wormadam didn't look too great after that. Its trainer snarled, trying to get it to attack, but before it could recover, Inferno was on top of it, scratching it. Before it could react, it fainted.

"Three down, one to go!" Roku yelled. Xander nodded, then turned to X-Ray. X-Ray desperately tried to hit the Mothim, but could not seem to land a hit.

"Inferno, try Ember again!" Roku commanded. The Chimchar responded, loosing a small jet of flame upon the Mothim. It dodged the Ember attack, along with a Spark attack that X-Ray had launched. Xander frowned. That Mothim was fast and evasive, easily dodging their attacks. However, if they could get it to hold still long enough, they might stand a chance.

"X-Ray, Spark," Xander said coolly, coming up with a quick strategy. His Shinx covered its body in a weak electric current, then sprung in the air after the Mothim. The Mothim moved to dodge, keeping its attention entirely on X-Ray. Roku noticed this and got Xander's idea.

"Inferno, Ember!" Roku yelled. The Chimchar nodded in response and shot off another jet of flame. The Mothim moved to dodge again. The flame not only missed the Mothim but also hit X-Ray. X-Ray took damage, but it was nothing fatal. He could still fight. Xander stopped to think again. The Mothim was fast and their Pokemon were getting tired. Constantly using Spark and Ember wasn't working, and also was now dangerous. Suddenly, he got an idea.

"Roku, go in for a scratch attack," Xander said. Roku nodded to Xander and commanded his Pokemon to do so. Inferno charged at the Mothim and launched in the air at it. The Mothim quickly evaded the attack easily. However, as it did so, X-Ray ran up behind Inferno and jumped on it as a boost to get higher. The sneak attack had worked.

"X-Ray, Spark," Xander said.

X-Ray's body became covered in electricity seconds away from hitting the Mothim. Its reaction time wasn't fast enough to evade the incoming attack. X-Ray's Spark attack hit the Mothim, knocking it to the ground and knocking it out. The match was over. Xander and Roku had won.

"Yaha! We did it!" Roku yelled, hugging his Chimchar. Xander merely smiled and stroked X-Ray as a reward. The opposing trainers looked devastated at their lost, but smiled anyway and thanked Roku and Xander for the battle.

"You're welcome," Xander replied, returning their smiles. The trainers then waved good-bye and went on their way. However, the victory was about to be cut short. Coming up behind them was a fuming Angie.

"Where have you two been?!" she asked.

"We got in-" Roku started, but didn't have the opportunity to finish.

"A fight, I saw," Angie said. "Why didn't you decline? You knew I had lunch ready."

"I wanted to, but-" Xander started.

"But what?" Angie said, glaring at the both of them.

"R-Roku accepted b-before I could say n-no..." Xander replied nervously, his stutter returning.

"What? Why are you trying to pin this on me?!" Roku yelled, turning on Xander.

"C-cause you're the one who accepted!" Xander replied.

"You still could've said no!" Angie said. "Or at least have told me! I've been waiting for nearly half an hour for you two to wash your hands!"

"I-I'm sorry Angie..." Xander said guilty. His head drooped. They had abandoned their friend, and Xander did feel guilty for that, but the battle beforehand had helped Roku and Xander's teamwork and their friendship seemed to have improved too. Also, he had an opportunity to work with X-Ray as well. But, he knew he still should've warned Angie at least. Now he felt sorry.

"I'm sorry, too," Roku said as well.

"You're forgiven," Angie said, turning away in a huff. Roku and Xander followed her. They arrived at the picnic site and ate lunch quickly. They then packed up and left for Jubilife. All the way there, Angie didn't speak to Roku or Xander.


	6. Chapter 6

Not Another Pokefic 6-Welcome to Jubilife

"Come on Angie, lighten up."

"No, you two ditched me."

"B-But we're sorry for it."

"No exceptions."

"We didn't mean to."

"Yes you did."

"P-please forgive us...?"

"You already are."

The conversation continued like this as the group neared Jubilife City. Angie was still upset over her friends ditching her and having a battle without her. It was unfair to her, yes, as they left her out and didn't tell her. She searched for fifteen minutes before she finally found them. And what did she find? Two trainers fighting them. Not only that, Roku had even chosen to battle, completely forgetting about lunch and her. She said she had forgiven them, but Roku and Xander weren't convinced.

"I-is there any way we can make it up t-to you?" Xander asked.

Angie thought about this for a second, before finally saying, "Yeah, never ditch me again. And get me some ice cream, that sounds good..."

"Ice cream is doable," Roku said.

"T-then we'll stop for it," Xander responded. "And we won't d-ditch you again, Angie."

Angie sighed, then turned to face them again. Her scowl had vanished and she seemed to have truly forgiven them now. Their apology seemed sincere to her now, and they had been willing to get her ice cream. Angie loved ice cream, but she loved popsicles and watermelon more. She slowly began to speak to them again now, but avoided the topic of their earlier battle. Roku and Xander got the hint and didn't speak of it too. The rest of their trip lasted shortly. Before they knew it, they were stepping into Jubilife City. Xander looked around the city in awe. He had seen big cities before, like Slateport City back in Hoenn, but Jubilife City had a different feel to it, though he couldn't put his finger on what. It was a beautiful, and yet a little overwhelming. Xander wondered what kind of adventure could await them. Roku, however, was the one to jump in first. He grabbed Angie's hand and dashed off ahead, dragging her along. Xander sighed and ran off after him.

"R-Roku, lemme go!" Angie called.

"You didn't want to be left behind again, right?" Roku called, smiling at her. Angie sighed. At least Roku was keeping his part of the promise. However, since he turned his head to smile at her, he wasn't watching where he was going. _Slam!_ Roku ran into a man rounding the corner carrying a few eggs. The man fell down, throwing his arms down to break his fall, but dropped the eggs. Angie managed to not collide with the man and Roku. She rushed over and caught the falling eggs, except for one. Fortunately, it landed safely in the man's lap. _Phew,_ she thought, _they're safe._ Angie sighed with relief and smiled. Other than a few bumps and bruises, nothing was seriously hurt and the eggs were safe.

"Sorry, sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going," Roku said. He got up and held his hand out to help the man up.

"It's okay," the man said, taking Roku's hand. "I'm fine, and so are the eggs." Roku pulled the man up off the ground. The man brushed himself off and smiled at both of them, just as Xander caught up. Angie gave him the other two eggs.

"Ah, I haven't introduced myself. My name is Isaac and I'm a breeder. These eggs are Togepi eggs. Miss..." Isaac said, nodding towards Angie.

"Angie," Angie said. "My name's Angie."

"Miss Angie, if you want one, you may take one, for saving these eggs," Isaac said. Angie's eyes lit up. Angie had aspired to be a breeder and now she had two eggs to hatch and raise, the first being the mysterious egg in her backpack.

"Wow, really?" Angie said, plucking an egg from the three the man had. "Thanks, Isaac!"

"No problem. If you hadn't been here, these three eggs would be omelets on the sidewalk," Isaac said, nodding towards Roku. Roku felt guilty again and apologized another time, but Isaac told him not to worry about it.

"What are you going to do with all the eggs?" Xander said. His sudden input surprised all three of them. Isaac nearly dropped the remaining two eggs.

"You startled me, boy," Isaac said. "Do you know these two?"

"Yeah, he's our friend," Roku said. "His name is Xander."

"Xander, huh...? I wonder if...nah," Isaac said. "Well, he kinda-"

"Sorry for startling you," Xander interrupted, trying to change the subject.

"It's alright, Xander, just don't sneak up on people like that," Angie said. Xander simply nodded.

"Anyways, I'm taking these eggs to the GTC," Isaac said.

"The GTC?" Xander asked.

"You don't know what the GTC is?" Isaac asked. Xander simply shook his head.

"He's from Hoenn," Angie explained. "And the GTC opened recently. He may not have heard of it because of moving." Isaac stared at Xander again, as if searching him over. After awhile, he sighed and gave up.

"The GTC stands for the Global Trading Center. It's a place where anyone anywhere in the Pokemon world can go to trade his Pokemon. If there was someone in Saffron City who wanted, for example, a Bonsley, he could go to the GTC and find someone from Sinnoh who was willing to trade a Bonsley for another Pokemon, say a Pidgey. If the person from Saffron City had a Pidgey, those two could trade. It's very convenient for trading Pokemon from entirely different continents," Isaac explained. "There's one in at least once major city in each continent. Here, we have one in Jubilife. Kanto has one in Saffron City and one on Cinnabar Island. Johto has one in Blackthorn City and Goldenrod City. Hoenn has one in Mauville City and one on Sootopolis City." Xander nodded to show he understood it.

"Hey, do you guys want to get a few Pokemon and try it out?" Roku asked. Angie didn't mind, but Xander looked intrigued. He had a few Pokemon in Hoenn he wanted to get, and a few Sinnoh Pokemon might be a good trade. Professor Rowan had stated before he was willing to study a few foreign Pokemon, why not some from Sinnoh? Xander simply nodded. He glanced over at Angie. Four Pokemon, though half of them were eggs, occupied her team. He wondered if she would try to trade an egg or possibly catch another Pokemon to trade. He wasn't sure though. For one, the Pokemon she had caught so far had came as eggs. Xander also realized he had never seen Angie battle once. Angie looked over at Xander and noticed him staring at her. She gave him an odd look, causing Xander's focus to return. He simply shook his head and began to follow Roku towards the town limits. Angie followed closely behind Xander.

It didn't take long for Xander and Roku to each catch a Pokemon to trade. Xander settled with a simply Starly, while Roku caught a Bidoof. They were quite common around the area, but they would do. Professor Birch of Hoenn wouldn't mind at all. To him, they were new Pokemon that he had never seen or studied before.

"You sure you don't want to try it?" Xander asked Angie. Angie simply nodded. She hadn't caught a Pokemon to trade yet, and had chosen not to.

"Why not?" Roku asked.

"I'm perfectly happy with my team," Angie said. "And I can't think of a Pokemon that I absolutely want that I can't get here."

Xander accepted this. He was only trading for one Pokemon, a small, odd looking Pokemon called Trapinch. Most people thought Trapinches were odd and avoided them. Xander would have too, but they evolved into Xander's favorite Pokemon: Flygon. Xander decided to get one to train here in Sinnoh. Roku had merely decided to catch a Pokemon to try out the GTC. He wondered what he would get, but he decided to leave that up to fate.

"Shall we go back now?" Angie asked. Xander gave a curt nod in response. Angie started back towards Jubilife City (they hadn't gone far). Xander followed her, with Roku right behind him.

Eventually the trio reached the entrance to the GTC, a large building with light blue paint covering its exterior. It had a few windows in the front, allowing some natural light into the building when the sun was in the right position. Xander could see a large amount of people inside, though he was unsure of what they were doing. Roku and Angie were awestruck by such a large building (it dwarfed the lab back in Sandgem). Xander, however, was unfazed. He had seen things like this before.

"Shall we go in?" he asked. Roku and Angie both agreed. Xander walked towards the entrance, with Angie and Roku following his footsteps like shadows. However, before they reached it, the door slid open and a young woman, maybe a year or two older than them, walked out. She had dark red, wavy hair, thin red eyes, and wore a close-fitting body suit. Xander stopped and looked down, trying to avert her eyes. The young woman simply smirked and brushed by Xander's side.

"Hello Xander," she whispered as she walked past. Angie and Roku waited until she was out of sight, then turned to Xander.

"Who was she?" they both asked simultaneously.

"I...I d-don't know," Xander replied. He didn't look up at his friends as he spoke, trying to not give away that he was lying. Xander did know that woman. She, too, was from Hoenn, someone he had known while he was there. He knew her quite well, though he wasn't going to let on that he did. However, Angie and Roku weren't so sure.

"Are you positive...?" they asked. Xander looked up and gave a curt nod.

"Okay then," Roku said. They bought it. Xander felt a little relieved. Now, with that out of the way, they could enjoy the GTC.

"Now, let's do what we came here for!" Roku yelled, running into the GTC. Xander grabbed Angie's arm and dragged her in behind him, trying to make sure she would stay with him and they wouldn't get separated.

Inside was a large reception hall, bustling with people. No trading was taking place, but on one side, there was a large reception desk with a small line of trainers waiting to gain access to the GTC. On the other side was a larger group of people, talking, taking a break from their trading, showing off Pokemon they had got from a trade. It looked like a nice place to Xander. He already saw Roku in the line, so he, dragging Angie behind him, joined Roku in the line.

"Xander, let me go!" she said, struggling to get free. Xander did as she asked, releasing her arm. Angie rubbed where she had been grabbed.

"Sorry, Angie..." he apologized.

"It's okay Xander," she said. "I can handle myself though, you don't need to drag me along everywhere."

"You did say you didn't want us to abandon you anymore," he replied.

"You don't need to go as far as dragging me by the arm though," Angie said giggling. Xander nodded, blushing embarrassedly. They then turned and watched as the line began to move. Eventually, they reached the front.

"Welcome to the GTC," the receptionist said with a cheery smile. "Are you new traders?" Angie, Roku, and Xander nodded slowly.

"Then may I please see your ID?" she asked. Angie and Roku reached into their back pockets and withdrew small cards, shaped like credit cards. However, they'd be quite useless as credit cards, because they were the trainer cards every trainer received when they became Pokemon trainers. They passed them to the receptionist, who scanned them, uploaded them to the computer, then handed them back. Xander pointed his earpiece at the computer. A small, blue beam shot out of the eye attachment to his own earpiece into the computer, trying to upload his ID that way. The receptionist allowed the upload after typing a few keys on the computer keyboard.

"There. Now you're registered into our systems and can come back by typing your own code into the keypad here," she said, pointing to one by each reception desk. Angie thanked her, Xander echoing her thanks, while Roku dashed ahead to the now open door. Xander and Angie sighed, following after Roku.

Inside the door was another hall, branching off into many hallways. On each side of the hall were doors leading into other rooms.

"May I help you?" said a voice behind them. Angie jumped in fear, while Xander was merely startled by it. Roku seemed completely oblivious. Xander turned around slowly and saw another man, standing behind a desk.

"We're new here, where can we trade Pokemon?" Xander asked.

"Let's see..." the man said, pressing something on his desk. Xander looked over the top. A small computer had been installed into the desk, showing multiple small squares, side-by-side. Some were white, others were bright red. Next to the grid was a small row of numbers numbered one through five. The man was pressing each number, showing the same grid, just the squares would differ in numbers.

"How many are trading today?" the man asked.

"Just two. Angie's here to watch," Xander said.

"Hmm...two rooms then," the man said. He pressed a few more buttons, then found a spot. "Two rooms can be found on the second floor. Go down the hall, and at the end you'll find a stairwell to the second floor. Go up it and head to the center of the hall. Take a left, then look in the farthest room on the right and left. Those two are open for use."

"Thank you. Come on guys!" Xander said, walking towards the end of the hall. However, Roku was already opening the door and heading up the stairwell. Xander sighed again and walked after him, making sure Angie was right behind him. They made it up the stairs to see another hall, exactly like the one below him, except this one branched off on the left. They walked to that hall and looked down it, seeing Roku standing at the end, tapping his foot.

"You're too slow!" he said in a somewhat cocky manner. Xander immediately thought of hedgehogs when he said this, but couldn't understand why he thought of this. Xander and Angie walked down the hall and met up with Roku. Xander decided to take the right room, while Roku took the left. Angie followed Roku into his room, but told Xander she'd visit him soon. Xander entered his own room. Inside was a large control panel, with a lot of buttons and keys. Xander hoped he'd be able to handle it well. He walked forward and stood in front of the control panel. In front of him were numerous, blinking pink pads. They intrigued Xander. He noticed a green button blinking on the control panel. He tentatively pressed it. Suddenly, a small hologram came out and smiled at him.

"Hello! I am your guide to the GTC!" it said cheerily. Xander was reminded of the receptionist back at the front desk.

"Allow me to instruct you on how to use the trading room. To begin a new search, press the search key. To put your own Pokemon up for trade, hit the new trade key. To quit at any time, press the quit button," the hologram said. Xander noticed three keys, place directly next to each other, lit up. The one on the right glowed a bright red color, making the word "quit" appear much more easily. The one on the left glowed blue, marked with the word "search". The middle, a bright yellow, had "new" imprinted on it. Xander wondered what to do.

"May I call a friend?" he asked. The hologram nodded and pointed to a small speaker with a keypad next to it. Xander reached over and dialed in the number for Professor Birch. Suddenly, a holo-screen appeared in front of Xander. It appeared blank at the moment. Ringing could be heard from the speaker. Suddenly, Professor Birch's face appeared upon the screen.

"Hello?" he said.

"Hello Professor," Xander replied, smiling.

"Hi Xander!" the professor said cheerily. "It's been awhile since we've last spoke. How's Sinnoh?"

"Just fine," Xander said. "I've already managed to make new friends and I've caught a few Pokemon too!"

"That's great, Xander!" Birch said, smiling.

"But I also have something to ask of you. Can you go to a Global Trading Center and put up a Trapinch for trade? I was hoping to trade you a Sinnoh Pokemon for it," Xander asked.

"Sure! I'll be right there!" Birch said enthusiastically. He couldn't resist the urge to study a Sinnoh Pokemon.

"Call my PokeNav when you get there," Xander said.

"Okay, seeya!" Birch said, hanging up. Now all Xander would have to do was wait. He began to ponder how long it would take Birch to get there. He could have one of his Pokemon fly him there, but even that would take half an hour at least. He would be a little while. Suddenly, the door opened behind him. Angie slid in and walked over to Xander.

"How're you doing?" she asked.

"Just waiting for Birch to call," Xander said. "I'm going to be a little while. Once Roku's done, why don't you two go and find the Pokemon Center. I'll be along shortly."

"I'll wait with you," Angie replied, smiling.

"Nah, it's okay. I'll be fine on my own. Please go back with Roku," Xander insisted.

"But-" Angie said, before Xander cut her off.

"No buts. I'll be fine, don't worry," Xander interrupted. "I don't want you hanging around her waiting for me. It'll get boring."

"...fine. But be back before dark," she said. Xander nodded. Suddenly, the door opened again. Roku walked in, smiling happily. His trade must've gone successful, as a new Pidgey was sitting on Roku's shoulder. Xander smiled. It looked happy and well-groomed. It's old owner must've been a good trainer or breeder.

"Meet Pig!" Roku said. The Pidgey chirped happily. The two made a good pair. Xander grinned.

"Congrats Roku," he said.

"Thanks. How goes your trading?" Roku asked.

"I'm waiting for the trader to reach a GTC," Xander replied. "So while I'm taking care of this, can you take Angie to the Pokemon Center? I'll be there shortly."

"Sure," Roku said, taking Angie's hand. "Let's go!" He began to take her along with him. Angie waved by to Xander. Xander simply smiled and waved at her, then began to wait. He pulled out a small picture and began to stare at it. It wasn't in the best of condition, but it showed a younger Xander, smiling and hugging his mother. In his arms was a Ralts, looking confused as it was being squished between Xander and his mother. Xander smiled at his picture. He had loved Ralts since he was little, though he somewhat pitied the males for evolving into Gardevoir. Suddenly, ringing could be heard throughout the entire room. He replaced the photo and pressed a button on his PokeNav. Professor Birch appeared on the holo-screen in his earpiece. Xander smiled.

"Hello Professor," he said.

"Hello Xander! Now, you said Trapinch right?" the Professor replied.

"Yes. Put it up for trade, please," Xander said. He pressed the search button and typed in 'Trapinch'. All of a sudden, the pink pads began to glow. Holograms of people began to appear from each pad. He recognized none of the people, until all of a sudden one more hologram appeared in the corner. It was one of the professor. He tapped on the Professor's hologram lightly. It suddenly vanished, and the pad beneath it slid away, allowing a small pedestal to appear from the floor. He placed the Starly's Pokeball into a slot in the pedestal. The Pokeball turned white and vanished, only to be replaced moments later by another one.

"Thanks for the Pokemon, Xander!" Birch said from the PokeNav. Xander picked up the Pokeball from the pedestal. The holograms vanished and the pedestal sank into the floor again. Xander returned to the control panel and pressed the quit button.

"Seeya later, Professor," Xander said.

"Seeya Xander!" the Professor replied. Xander hung up the PokeNav and left the room. He began to head home for the night.

Meanwhile, back at the Pokemon Center, the young woman Xander had met before was sitting inside a room. Accompanying her was another girl about her age and a boy about Xander's age. The girl had bright blue, shoulder-length hair, big blue eyes, and wore a suit similar to the other woman's. The boy had a bright green hair and eyes and wore a green jacket with blue jeans.

"So you're sure you saw him Ruby?" the boy asked.

"Positive. Xander even acted the same, using his little nervous reactions. It was definitely him alright," the woman, Ruby said.

"Yay! We found Xander!" the other woman said in a bubbly manner. "Now we can take him back to Hoenn with us!"

"Calm down Sapphire, that's not what we're here for," the boy said, grinning.

"Oh," the blue-haired girl, Sapphire said. "Then what are we here for, Emerald?"

"To show Xander that I'm truly the best out of all of us!" Emerald said, grinning madly.


End file.
